June 16th. Last night some member of our company started a small fire close to the root of a pine tree. It was decayed through the center, which quickly caught fire, the blaze shooting out at the top, like a high chimney. The tree being away up the mountain, the blaze could be seen for miles along the Lynchburg Valley. Attempts were made to put out the fire with dirt.
This morning finds us in the mountains, between the Peaks of Otter, the highest mountains in Virginia. Our signal corps climbed to the top of one of the peaks. We get an early start, on down the mountain over a rough stony road. At the same time we get a grand view of the surrounding country. It certainly is fine. Good growing crops in all directions. Passed through a large peanut field. The vines were fine but not much left of them after the army had passed through the field. The advance are skirmishing, as we can plainly hear. Fifteen miles from the Peaks of Otter, we pass through the town of Liberty, after a hot, dusty march. Out on the Lynchburg Pike we go. Hungry, tired, foot-sore, we stop for the night in a cornfield, near New London, after a march of about twenty-four miles. Sharp skirmishing kept up all day, showing the enemy is contesting our advance on Lynchburg. We hear it reported that the Yankee army has never visited this section of Virginia before. With us, it is now on for Lynchburg, which we seem confident that we can capture. We hope so.